When was australia day first celebrated

People happy with the current Australia Day base their arguments often on racist grounds. But a majority of Australians actually don't care about the particular date and just enjoy the holiday. Aboriginal singer and songwriter legend Archie Roach wants to celebrate Australia, just not on January For him, "getting over it" is not an option.

Just understand that what we enjoy today came at a cost — a terrible cost — to the First People of this country. Aboriginal activist Michael Mansell believes a new public holiday should celebrate an inclusive Australia, but he calls for a treaty first. The date of the agreement could mark a new national date for celebration, where both peoples acknowledge each other's rights and aspirations, thus avoiding the current 'whites only' celebrations. Others believe moving Australia Day would "elevate" one culture above another and "exacerbate Thousands who celebrate the day would deliver a "defiant response".

Taking issue with a single day means to "reject colonial history in its entirety". Climate change is slow and denied by some — traits shared by the political climate change that will see Australia Day moved or replaced.

In Mick Dodson, Aboriginal law professor and Australian of the Year , expressed his hopes for a new day. I firmly believe that some day we will choose a date that is a comprehensive and inclusive date for all Australians. Polls published in the Sydney Morning Herald show no clear trend. While results slightly increased for "yes" respondents in , the results in showed almost half the respondents did not want a change. But if you differentiate the results by age group see poll in this section you notice how the younger generations are more open to a change of date, as are Australians who were not born in the country.

And almost half of all respondents believe that it is likely that in the next ten years Australia will change the date of its national day. On 24 August full Fremantle council WA voted in favour of not hosting the city's usual fireworks event the next year "as a sign of respect to the local Noongar peoples and in recognition of changing attitudes towards January 26 as the national day of celebration.

Unfortunately the council had to submit to pressure from the federal government to reinstate its citizenship ceremony on Australia Day. City of Yarra councillors in Melbourne on 15 August voted unanimously to no longer refer to 26 January as Australia Day in all official documents, but "January 26" instead, to stop citizenship ceremonies on that date and to support the campaign to change Australia Day in cognition of it being a day of distress for many Aboriginal people.

In response, the federal government stripped the council of the power to hold citizenship ceremonies. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared the vote to be "utterly out of step with Australian values" and accused the council of seeking to divide Australia.

Neighbouring Darebin council followed on 21 August with a vote of 6 to 2 in favour [26] and Moreland City Council a neighbour of Darebin on 13 September , although it will still hold citizenship ceremonies.

In , Moreland moved its annual citizen awards ceremony from January 26 to October out of respect for Aboriginal people. Triple-J , which used to count down the "Hottest " songs on Australia Day, moved this program to the fourth weekend of January for the first time in because of the "increasing debate around 26 January". Moving the ceremony was "to acknowledge the concerns of our Aboriginal community with respect to the date of 26 January whilst still honouring the needs and values of those who wish to celebrate our successes as a nation.

Cricket Australia announced on 20 January that it would drop the term 'Australia Day' from its promotions for the Big Bash League competition scheduled for the weekend before the day in an attempt to "normalise conversations".

Instead, it referred to it simply as 26 January. This isn't about banning barbecues, it's about respect for the world's oldest living culture This is a gesture of respect and an important step in healing.

One of the most powerful things you can do to support change is to work on Australia Day. Ask your manager or employer if you can swap it for another day. Suggestions for a replacement day for Australia Day are as numerous as there are opinions. Here is a collection of suggestions I came across tell me if you know about another :.

Other suggestions include replacing Queen's Birthday with a new Aboriginal public holiday and letting Aboriginal people decide on the name and occasion, and making January 26 'Makarrata Day', following the spirit of the Uluru Statement From the Heart. Check out Pride or Pain? I would however make a strong plea for a change of date. Let us find a day on which we can all feel included, in which we can all participate equally, and can celebrate with pride our common Australian identity.

Aboriginal hiphop musician Jeswon Thundamentals expressed his hope for a change of Australia Day in the song 'Change The Date' which is a collaboration of many artists. And here's my own reflection on that discussion to the tune of Advance Australia Fair :. Acclaimed songwriter David Beniuk questions why January 26th has been picked to be celebrated as Australia Day in his memorable song:. More and more Australians inoculate themselves against ignorance and stereotypes by finally reading up on Aboriginal history and the culture's contemporary issues.

But to truly move forward we need to achieve "herd information". It will definitely be really helpful in me getting to know, understand, honour and relate with Aboriginal people better. This site uses cookies to personalise your experience. If you continue using the site, you indicate that you are happy to receive cookies from this website. On January 26, , the Indian constitution takes effect, making the Republic of India the most populous democracy in the world.

Mohandas Gandhi struggled through decades of passive resistance before Britain finally accepted Indian independence. Self-rule had been promised The first Prohibition law in the history of the United States is passed in Tennessee, making it a misdemeanor to sell alcoholic beverages in taverns and stores. In , King Alfonso XIII approved elections to decide the government of Spain, and voters overwhelmingly chose to abolish the monarchy in favor Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox.

On January 26, , John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, gives the first public demonstration of a true television system in London, launching a revolution in communication and entertainment. The show, which originally aired for seven seasons, centered around cousins Bo Duke Navy Lt. Everett Alvarez Jr. First taken prisoner when his plane was shot down on August 5, , he became the longest-held POW in U.

Alvarez was downed over Hon Gai during the first bombing raids against On January 26, , just about a week after his inauguration, President John F. Kennedy appoints Janet Travell, 59, as his personal physician, making her the first woman in history to hold the post. Travell possessed an impressive resume that included graduating with honors On January 26, , President George W. Bush appoints Condoleezza Rice to the post of secretary of state, making her the highest ranking African American woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. The Chicago-based Pinkerton Detective These celebrations were all Sydney-centric other states and territories had their own celebrations to mark their founding - for example, Governor Lachlan Macquarie held a gun salute at Dawes Point to mark 30 years as a colony in In , the first Sydney Regatta was held.

In , crowds of people attended the event and to see the hoisting of the New South Wales flag. South Australia, Western Australia, and Van Diemens Land Tasmania were toasted as sister colonies, despite having their own celebratory day. In early colonial times, the 26th was also called 'First Landing Day' or 'Foundation Day' by some, and would be celebrated by European immigrants particularly ex-convicts by holding anniversary dinners. Some would begin their festivities the night of the 25th, with records existing of ex-convicts participating in "drinking and merriment" to celebrate their new home from as early as This annual event, which is still going and is the longest-standing public holiday in Australia was once Tassie's annual celebration of being Australian.

Tasmania has celebrated Hobart Regatta Day since , as it commemorates the anniversary of Abel Tasman's discovery of Tassie, in Now called Western Australia Day, the date of this holiday actually moved around every year - it was held on the first Monday in June, to commemorate the founding of the Swan River Colony in Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling, who was aboard the merchant vessel Parmelia and sighted the coast on June 1 officially proclaiming the Swan River Colony June 11 , thought an annual celebration was necessary to unify the members of the colony.

It was called Foundation Day up until - after a series of law changes, which recognised WA's Indigenous peoples as the original inhabitants of the land, the day was renamed to Western Australia Day in Proclamation Day was a celebration of the date the government was established in South Australia as a British province in This was South Australia's 'founding day' celebrations until , when they officially unified with other states to celebrate Australia Day on January All of the states and territories of Australia were celebrating the national day together by , 83 years ago - although it was still known as Anniversary Day in NSW, and Foundation Day in other areas.

First Nation Peoples have been protesting the date for almost the same amount of time, with the first official 'Day of Mourning' being held by the Australian Natives Association in In , the Sesquicentenary - or th anniversary - of British colonisation of Australia, was widely celebrated in all state capitals. The main celebrations were held in Sydney, but newspapers from others states show that language had now evolved around January 26 to be a national date of significance.